Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type

Title: Click, Clack Moo Cows that Type

Author: Betsy Lewin

Illustrator: Doreen Cronin

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Book for Young Readers

Publication date: 2000

ISBN number: 0-689-83213-3

Audience :  Intended by publisher: 3- 7; Possibilities:  all ages

Summary: Farmer Brown has unusual cows.  The cows found an old type writer, practiced typing, and typed him a request for electric blankets.  Farmer Brown refused and got really angry.  The next day the cows refused to give Farmer Brown milk.  Farmer Brown was angry.  The day after that the chickens were also requesting electric blankets.  Farmer Brown refused and the next day there was no milk and no eggs for Farmer Brown.  Farmer Brown was irate and sent an ultimatum to the cows through Duck.  He demanded milk and eggs.  The cows agreed to a compromise, they would surrender the typewriter for the electric blankets.  The blankets were left outside the barn door, but Duck hijacked the typewriter and the ducks requested a diving board for the pond. 

Literary elements at work in the story: One of the strengths of the book is the repeated refrain Click, Clack, Moo.              The illustrations are lovable and add a lot to the story. This is a plot driven story that is easy to read and to the point.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Farmer Brown is an older white guy that works hard for his living.  There are no other human characters in the book, so there is not a variety of gender, race, culture, economic status, abilities/disabilities, or age.

Theological conversation partners:  Proverbs 16:7 “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him”.  Proverbs 16:32 “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.”

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Why do you think Farmer Brown was angry at the cows?
2. Give examples of what happened when Farmer Brown got angry.
3. The cows engaged in peaceful resistance.  What are some other examples of peaceful resistance?
4. How did the cows return peace to the farm?
5. How does compromise work in a situation?
6. What do the Bible passages tell us about peace?

This review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary – Charlotte student Jessie Smith.

The Action Bible

Title: The Action Bible

Editor: Doug Mauss

Illustrator: Sergio Cariello

Publisher: Harper Tempest

Audience: Ages 9 and up

ISBN: 978-0781444996

The Action Bible is a graphic novel that makes scripture come to life in an untraditional and exciting way. It uses several stories to convey the adventurous elements of the Bible that conventional translations may not communicate. Its strength is in the quality of the illustrations which are world-class. The stories are organized in the same order as the traditional canon but rather than saying “2 Samuel  chapter 5”, each story is given its own title with the corresponding scripture in parentheses. It is a minor detail but one worth appreciating. The Action Bible is a great device to get otherwise uninterested readers’ attention but is not a threat to replace one’s study Bible or family Bible, which is okay! Using this text taught me about the multifaceted approach of the gospel; we all are not going to be sustained in the same manner, though we are quenched by the same fountain.

I have used The Action Bible with students as young as third graders and have had great conversations with my middle school students as well. I would not recommend using it with students younger than 7. The imagery in some of the stories–Jezebel’s interactions with Elijah come to mind–are a bit graphic for the little ones and may even spook them. I hesitated to show my fourth graders the pictures during a scene where dogs were lapping up blood but they thought it was “Awesome!” They look forward to reading whenever we use it in class and it has served as a source of inspiration for the visual artists among my students.

My greatest praise for this text is twofold: The inspiration that it gives my students who are fans of graphic novels, and the reminder it gives all of us that the characters in the biblical narrative are people. I would love to see my students get so caught up in the necessity of storytelling that they recast a biblical story in a contemporary context. Who are the Elijahs and Ahabs of today? How would YOU draw David and Goliath? I can imagine that the prospect of bringing scripture down to our level is an intimidating and anxiety inducing feat from some perspectives. I appreciate The Action Bible because it further proves the relevance and necessity of these stories.

This book makes me wonder:

1. How important is interpretation in the delivering of a story?
2. How can I use the biblical narrative to explain contemporary circumstances?
3. What are the next exciting ways to deliver the biblical narrative?

This review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary – Charlotte student Christopher Burton.

A Blessed Christmas to all our readers…

As Union Presbyterian Seminary prepares to close for the holidays, we wanted to let you know about our holiday posting schedules.    We will not be posting any faith reviews for the next few weeks, but you can look forward to a new series that will begin on Monday, January 7, 2o13.  We’ll be posting faith reviews of Lois Lowry’s four dystopian young adult novels that began with The Giver in 1993 and ended with Son in 2012.

We will continue to post Lectionary Links during the break, because we know you’re still planning for worship!  Those will be posted on our regular Friday schedule (give or take a few days) on Dec. 21, 28 and January 4.

We thank you for the gifts of your comments and interest in this site and we wish for each of you a blessed holiday season with lots of good books and the experience of God’s light and love that enters into our lives and world.

image used under Creative Commons License:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/caseysworld/313342138I

Up a Road Slowly

Name of Book:  Up A Road Slowly

Author:  Irene Hunt

Publisher:  Berkley

ISBN: 978-0425202050

Audience:  Ages 10 and up

Summary:  After her mother’s death Julie goes to live with her spinster Aunt Cordelia in a big house in the country. As she grows from seven to seventeen she learns many lessons about life, love, family, friends, judging and ultimately herself.

Literary elements at work in the story :  The time and especially the setting of this book are ambiguous. All we know is that Julie lived with her family in a college town where her father is a professor, and then moves out into the country to live with her aunt. I like this because by not giving us a precise setting it allows the reader to set the story in any area that they want. Having grown up in the rural south, that must be where Julie and Aunt Cordelia lived because I could “see” it in my mind’s eye. And while a specific time isn’t given, there are things that clue us in – Aunt Cordelia’s one room school house, heating with wood and coal, no electronics – that this takes place in the past. Yet,  you get lost in the words and forget this minor thing and, at least for me, you find it set in a time and place you know. Aunt Cordelia, Julia and Uncle Haskel are written so well and are so believable. The book is only 186 pages long and each chapter basically covers a year or a specific event each year  in Julie’s life. Julie moves us through the book and through the natural transitions of her life – school, peer relationships, widowed father dating and remarrying, older sister marrying, first love, family conflicts and relationships – and as she does she grows and evolves into a mature and happy young woman who finally realizes that she has had a good childhood. This simple little book was the 1966 Newbery Medal winner, and it will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  In today’s 21st century culture the book does have several gender issues that are now considered stereotypical – spinster Aunt who teaches school, women do all the cooking, cleaning and child rearing. Even though the book does contain these stereotypes,  they are not intrusive  or degrading.  Instead they are just “natural” much like you would find in the Little House books, or Little Women.

Theological conversation partners:  The underlying and unspoken theme is the search to find one’s place in the world and to find love – for yourself  and from someone else. As I reread this book (I have read it almost once a year since I first read it in 5th grade in 1975 – this book is truly a part of me) I kept thinking of Psalm 139: 1-18 and especially verses 13-18. Due to her mother passing away when Julie is seven and then her dad shipping her off to live with Cordelia, I think Julie spends most of the book searching for who she is and whose she is. Psalm 139 speaks to both of these. We are reminded that God has known us since before time, and that we will never be abandoned by God. This is such an important thing for all of us to know, but especially children who are searching for their place in the world.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. How is Julie like you?
2. How is she different from you?
3. What lessons did she learn from Aunt Cordelia? Uncle Haskel? Agnes? Her brother, sister and dad? Herself?
4. Is God and/or faith a part of Julie’s life?
5. How might her life have been different if they had been?
6. What would you tell Julie about Psalm 139?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Shasta Brown.

Lectionary Links are Coming!

As many of our readers will understand, Holy Week is one of the weeks that creates a lot of time demands on church leaders.  For that reason, we need a little extra time in getting up the Lectionary Links for Sunday, May 6.  We plan to have those posted by Tuesday, April 10.

Thanks for your patience, and a blessed and joyous Easter to all of you!

We’re Listening to You!

For the year that we’ve been posting our Lectionary Links, a common refrain has been the request to post them earlier to make it easier to get the books that are suggested.  That has been pretty difficult to do up until this time.  We’re happy to announce, however, that beginning next Friday, August 5, we will begin the move towards having everything posted a month in advance.

For the next two Fridays, we will be posting TWO Lectionary Links each week.  On August 5, our wonderful regular contributor Noell Rathbun will offer suggestions for August 21 and Dr. Pamela Mitchell-Legg, professor at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte (and mover and shaker who got this blog going) will provide the links for August 28.

On August 12, we are happy to introduce Lectionary Links written by recent Union Presbyterian Seminary graduate Sara Anne Berger.  Sara Anne did a directed study that resulted in thirteen weeks of Links and we’re delighted to share them with you.  Her offerings for September 4 and September 11 will be posted on August 12.

And then we’ll be just where you’ve asked us to be!  We hope this change in our posting schedule that provides everything a month in advance will help you locate books that you’d like to have in a more timely manner.

(We’d also like to highlight a suggestion that Noell recently made on the blog about using http://www.worldcat.org to see if any libraries near you have a book we mention.  It’s easier if you create an account so WorldCat knows your location, but you can always identify your location later in the search process if you don’t create one.  Seeing if libraries near you have a book may make it easier to request an interlibrary loan if your own local library doesn’t have a copy.)

We are gratified by the support and encouragement you’ve offered us here.  Blessings on your ministries.

Mockingjay

Name of Book:  Mockingjay

Author:  Suzanne Collins

Book Design:  Elizabeth Parisi

Publisher:  Scholastic Press

Audience:  Ages 12 and up

Summary:  The third in a trilogy of science fiction stories, Mockingjay is written for adolescent youth and older due to graphic and violent content.

Katniss Everdeen has survived two rounds of competition in the Hunger Games arena and returns to District 12 to see the ruins after it has been bombed and destroyed by the Capitol. Citizen refugees have been relocated to District 13, the first district destroyed by the Capitol which went underground. The residents of District 13 and the refugees have together plotted the details of the revolution and assassination plan for President Snow.

Peeta has been captured and tortured by President Snow and special army team from District 13 is sent to the Capitol to rescue Peeta and other games survivors. The Capitol retaliates with bombing the districts, but 13 is spared. The district president works to create an army capable of leading the other districts in the revolution against the Capitol to gain freedom from oppression. With Katniss in the army group leading the way as the mockingjay, she will again experience and participate in violence and death as they work to rid Panem of the evil in power.

This particular book moves much more quickly through time than the past two in the series. A war rages on and much death and destruction take place, although it is described over weeks and months rather than days.

Note: While the series has no Christian references at all, there are a number of routes one can take in discussing Christian faith with teenage readers. Parents are strongly encouraged to read this book either before their children or alongside their children and engage in regular faith-based discussions.

Literary elements at work in the story:  This is a science fiction dystopia of revenge imposed by the country leadership onto the individual districts. It is told from the first person point of view of Katniss, a 16 year old tribute to the Games. It is her story of survival in not just the games, but in everyday life as a citizen of the poorest district in Panem. Katniss is portrayed as a survivor, as is her friend Gale, while many of the other child characters, including her sister (and even her mom) are portrayed as weak and needy. The setting of this book takes place in District 13, as well as in the Capital during war time.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability make a difference to the story?  This book portrays all citizens of Panem, even those of District 13, as under oppressive authority. Many citizens have been tortured either physically or mentally, and even within the safety of the district, there is no freedom for citizens. The culture is that of a benevolent dictatorship, creating citizens who will survive the war and hopefully repopulate the country after it has been recaptured.

Scripture:  Isaiah 57:19-21

Theology:  As humans we fall short of the glory of God, but we are still loved and desired by God. We have turned away from God, and each other, in search of our own personal and societal gains. As sinners, we have gone against “the way it’s supposed to be.” We are unable to turn ourselves back toward God and unable to make our relationship with God and one another right. We have been sent Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, to lead us back into relationship with God and others.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Have you ever been given a gift by someone that you know you can’t repay?
2. How can we trust God when we don’t physically see or feel God?
3. Are there any characters in the book that value human life?
4. What does God teach us about the value of a human life?
5. Katniss struggles with the loss of friends close to her and feels responsible. Have you ever lost someone close to you? Has someone close to you been hurt before? How did you feel?
6. How do you think God would react to the Capitol’s treatment of the citizens of Panem?

Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Katie Todd

Introducing a new Guest Blogger

Beginning tomorrow, Virginia Thomas will be a guest contributor on our blog.  Virginia is a graduate of Union Presbyterian Seminary (when it was the Assembly’s Training School) and led workshops for many years on children and worship and on children’s literature.  In fact, it was her book, Children’s Literature for all God’s Children, with Betty Miller that first helped describe the idea of children’s literature as a bridge between the Biblical story and our own experiences.  (Although it was published in 1986, it’s still a wonderful resource and used copies are still available in various places.)

Virginia will be providing book reviews and faith talk questions and will also provide some more in depth reviews of some children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks that have been published recently.

We’re happy to welcome her experienced voice to this conversation!

Wishing you a joyous holiday

The students, staff and faculty at Union Presbyterian Seminary will be taking a wonderful holiday break beginning tomorrow, Dec. 21.  Therefore, we will not be posting any more faith reviews until the new year.  The Lectionary Links posts for January 9 and January 16 will be posted tomorrow and Wednesday.  The Lectionary Links post for Sunday, Jan. 23 will be posted on January 7, 2011 and we’ll get back on our regular schedule then.

As we take a short break from sharing stories that we love, let us enjoy this season of celebrating the story of God’s love for us all.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

Stepping on the Cracks

Name of Book:  Stepping on the Cracks

Author:  Mary Downing Hahn

Illustrator:  None

Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Audience:  ages 11-15.  Other sources list the target audience as ages 9-12.  While some elements in the book (being bullied, family loyalty, having secrets, relationships with a best friend) will be accessible to younger readers, the book’s themes of coming of age, learning about issues of moral ambiguity and accepting consequences for actions may be comprehensible only to more mature readers.

Summary:  Margaret’s brother is fighting in the “war Hitler started,” so her family has a blue star hanging in their living room window.  Her best friend Elizabeth also has a brother overseas.  Neither girl is really worried.  Many of the houses in their town have stars in the windows.  Some of the stars are gold, meaning the service man had been killed in the fighting.  But Margaret and Elizabeth are not really worried about their brothers.  After all, this is a good war, and the Americans and their allies are on the side of right.  The girls are more concerned about their war with the class bully, Gordy.  But then they learn some secrets:  Gordy is secretly caring for his Army deserter brother Stuart in a ramshackle shack in the woods and Gordy’s father batters the entire family.  At first, the girls see these secrets as weapons to stop Gordy’s bullying.  But when Stuart falls seriously ill, they feel obliged to help him.  This decision changes their perceptions of right and wrong.

Literary Elements at work in the story: The setting of the story (the era of World War II) is far enough removed from the present as to make discussion of themes of moral ambiguity “safe.”  Present day readers will be intrigued by glimpses of life when their grandparents were children.  The themes of coming of age and learning that right and wrong are often not sharply and clearly defined are strong elements in this book.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability:  The book is set in a time when cultural expectations were different.  Girls were not encouraged to engage in strenuous physical activity.  For example, Margaret’s mother fusses at her for jumping from the front porch railing, saying that she would “ruin” her insides and for using words such as “guts.”  People turned a blind eye to battering.  Resources to protect and support the victims were not available.

Scripture:  Exodus 20:13, Matthew 25:31-40, Colossians 3:12

Theology:  Accepting different points of view, Family, Community

Faith Talk Questions:

1. How is life for Margaret and Elizabeth in 1944 like yours today?  How is it different?
2. Elizabeth tells Margaret that “Sometimes you have to fight; you just can’t let bad things happen.”  But Stuart tells her that fighting and killing are wrong.  Discuss these two points of view.  Do you agree with one or both or neither?  Why?
3. Where do you see brokenness in this book?  Where do you see healing?
4. Why did Gordy resist asking for help for his brother?  When is it hard to ask for help?  What can stand in the way of helping?  What makes helping easier?

Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Mary Anne Welch